For those seeking to begin a ground-level journey into the world of Porsche automobiles, or folks just looking for an inexpensive way to say they own one, this 1987 Porsche 924S here on Craigslist may be a good candidate for accomplishing either objective. When the 924 came to the market in 1976, it was indeed their entry-level model, but some good news is a few refinements were made over the course of the car’s run, and when the 924S was introduced in 1986 buyers got a little more pizazz. This one’s located in Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey, roughly 30 miles north of New York City, and comes with an asking price of $6,200.
Barn Finds regular tipster PRA4SNW spotted this listing and sent it our way, and for that, we’d like to say thanks! Buyers who held out until 1986 and got the 924S were treated to a boost under the hood, as Volkswagen had made the decision to stop producing the 2.0-liter blocks previously used in the 924. So the powers that be equipped the 924S with a slightly detuned version of the 2.5 from the big brother 944, but fortunately, not all that much juice was lost, as the inline 4 cylinder only dropped slightly from 163 horsepower to 148. The owner of this car says it runs and drives great, with lots of love already given to the fuel components plus a new set of shocks were installed all the way around. A recent inspection of the timing belt shows it to be A-OK, but the next owner should anticipate a brake job will be needed in the near future.
On the odometer, 70k miles are showing, but the seller believes it could have rolled over, and while the body isn’t spotless it still looks pretty good for having traveled 70k and even better if it’s gone a hundred thousand more. The Porsche is claimed to have never been involved in any accidents, although there is a dent in the front fender, but it seems relatively minor. The car is stated to be all original, so if that’s the paint the 924S left the factory with it’s still looking decent.
There’s a bit of wear inside, but for the age, it’s not bad at all, and if you’re just wanting a driver things in there are probably OK like they are now. The seats don’t have any obvious tears, and even though there are some cracks in the dash the instruments are still presenting well, plus it’s got a sunroof which is always fun as long as there’s no leaking, and I’m not spotting any obvious signs that this one is. This car is certainly not perfect, but it is a Porsche and the price seems to be reasonable. What are your thoughts on this 924S?
Nice car but wouldn’t put any money on it until I saw the underside. All that corrosion on the aluminum in the engine compartment came from somewhere. Chassis is galvanized but the suspension pieces are not.
I have one in my driveway. It’s a fun and economical car that gets looks everywhere you drive it.
Really like my ‘83 944. These cars are slow, but FUN momentum cars on slow and mid size curves.
When I bought mine and drove home from Kingman, AZ to Vegas, it was the perfect road for these cars. They’re dependable once you take care of needed maintenance items. Seems like every new 924 or 944 owner has to take of maintenance items from previous owners. Not always, but often.
This 924 S has a nice color and phone dials. Can be a nice ride for any budding Porsche owner, or even an experienced owner who wants to keep miles off their 911, but still drive a Porsche.
Something about how Porsche designs their cars that they look good in silver and I have always thought that these 924’s were one of the best. The 924 was always a car that handled better than it went and the additional power of the “S” version was so much better as it had the power needed to make the go match the turn and the stop. Simpler to work on than many other cars and parts are not that bad. A fun touring sports car. I have driven many miles in my friends cars when I traded them my Lotus for their cars as they wished to try my lotus. One of my favorite Porsches. The right balance is my view of them. Capable, fun and efficient and this one could be a huge beauty when the surface problems are fixed.
Total Money Pit. I was given one when I was young and still curse when I think about it. Mine had 4″ of water on the inside; leaking sunroof, corroded battery box, window fell off the track because the door latches broke so my brother stepped on the mirror to crawl in thru the sunroof. I had a lot of memories about it but very few good ones.
Mike, thanks for picking this one up. I enjoy reading your reviews.
Here’s another fun ride for (some people’s) tax return money.
Anything German or Italian usually requires a FAT wallet to keep up on the maint. or keep it running.
mine R: I all ways love spending less for more and when seen in this package (most attractive lookin porsche) the 924/8, I can B very happy. The co only offers 1 other model I like, the 914 (w/a 6 cyl) but it is not as attractive. Well, OK, the ‘bath tub’ (’48/65) but would not want 1. So mine R (even worse may be):
pick one up w/the bent8 anda auto !
save some money, geta GOOD looking model from the co known for lux, power, handling !